Kirkcaldy &Dysart, Fife

as it relates to the McKechnie family history.

This brief history is intended as a background to the McKechnie family history. It therefore concentrates on items considered relevant, and should not be regarded as a comprehensive history of the town or district. To find Dysart on the map, visit Multimap.

Dysart

Dysart parish, on the Firth of Forth, is 4 miles in length from north - south and 2 miles in breadth. It is bounded by Kinglassie, Markinch, Wemyss, Auchterderran and Kirkcaldy. Much waste land has been reclaimed in the past 60 years by draining, embanking and fencing. The main crops are wheat, barley, oats, potatoes, hay and turnip. The Fife breed of cattle are reared, as well as horses, but few sheep. Coals are abundant and cheap; although they are slow to kindle and leave much ash, they produce a strong heat. There are also some limestone and ironstone quarries. A ton of ironstone produces nearly 12 cwt. of iron. Dysart was a very prosperous port before the Union [1707], but all its prosperity has since left it. Linen manufacture remained, with 2088 looms in 1836. There is also now a flax spinning mill, a pottery, a rope-works and other useful trades. Besides the church in Dysart, there is a chapel of ease in Pathhead, a Free Church and a UP Church. Besides the parish school there are 14 other schools in the parish. Although there are nearly 150 public houses, sobriety, industry and morality are as fully conspicuous here as anywhere else. Low wages no doubt accounts for the sobriety. Besides the burgh of Dysart, there are also the villages of Pathhead, Sinclairton and Gallowtown and the hamlets of Hackleymoor and the Borland.

From 'A descriptive & historic gazeteer of the counties of Fife, Kinross & Clackmannan', M Barbieri, published 1857.

Kirkcaldy

Kirkcaldy is a royal burgh and a populous thriving seaport. From the narrow dimensions on which the town stands, the inhabitants have had to build their houses in a continuous line along the shore giving rise to the name “the lang toun of Kirkcaldy”. The number of vessels belonging to the port at present is 74 with an aggregate burthen of 9956 tons. The principal imports are flax and grain. Vessels from here have been employed in the Davis Strait whale fishery for many years, and 2 vessels are at present so engaged. The trade of Kirkcaldy is similar to that of Dundee - spinning flax and weaving coarse linen goods. There is also a large floorcloth manufactory, brewing, ironfounding, machine making, and a considerable corn and meal trade. As well as the parish church, there are a free church and chapels for united presbyterians, baptists and independents.

Edited from Slater's Directory published 1852.

Page last updated 21/03/2003